About Home CareHomewatch CareGivers® believes good care should not interfere with
your quality of life. We deliver the compassionate care our clients need
to help complete day-to-day activities while still maintaining a healthy
dose of independence.

Types of CareOur clients have many different reasons for requiring care, so we strive
to provide services tailored to their individual needs and circumstances.
Homewatch CareGivers delivers various types of in-home care that focus
on the whole person—not just their condition.

Our StoryHomewatch CareGivers was founded on the concept of person-directed care:
focusing on the specific needs of the individual and treating each client
as a whole person, not just a condition. We strive to provide in-home
care services that allow people to continue living safely and happily
in their own homes.

Why Choose Us?Let our family care for yours. At Homewatch CareGivers, we value not only
highly qualified caregiving services but also human interactions and relationships.
Our people make the difference.

Attention Span & Concentration

Specializing in Caregiving Services Related to Dementia

As dementia progresses, your loved one’s attention span and concentration
will decrease, resulting in being distracted easily and having difficulty
focusing. By engaging your loved one in certain cognitive exercises, you
can increase attention span and the ability to concentrate, a little at a time.

If your loved one is suffering from dementia, you may notice that focusing
on a certain task is challenging. For example, a loud noise may completely
dismantle the completion of a household chore like making the bed, or
focusing on completing a puzzle may simply not be in the cards. The following
exercises may help your loved one increase the cognitive function required
to maintain some level of attention span and concentration.

Exercise #1

Our experienced dementia care experts from Homewatch CareGivers® suggest
that you create a set of opposite cards. For example, one card would have
an image of fire, the other, ice; one has the image of a dog, the other,
a cat; and so on. Shuffle the cards and lay the images out on a table,
ensuring the opposite sets are visible. Ask your loved one to physically
match the sets based on opposites. Next, re-shuffle the cards, and hold
one up at a time (for example, the fire card). Make a statement like,
“If this is hot, the opposite would be what?” Ask your loved
one to choose the correct opposite card from the deck of remaining cards.

Exercise #2

Create a set of colour and shape cards, and begin a homemade game of Concentration.
Lay out the set of cards, face up, in front of your loved one, and have
him or her study the location of the cards for about one minute. Turn
the cards face down, and then ask your loved one to find the matches based
on their memory of the card locations.

As you’re working with your loved one on these exercises, carefully
monitor the amount of time he or she spends on each activity before becoming
distracted and requiring redirection. The goal is to have your loved one
maintain, if not improve, their time over the course of your session.
If you must redirect your loved one in order to help them remain on task,
simply restate the original directions or offer to demonstrate the activity
for clarification. Remember to use clear and positive communication skills,
and work within your loved one’s abilities and tolerance levels
while watching for signs of overwhelm or exhaustion.

For questions about these exercises or any of our dementia care tips, feel free to
contact us today!